MLB Rumors: Red Sox-Ohtani package, Cubs trade dilemma, Phillies-Mets trade

MLB Rumors: Red Sox trade package for Shohei Ohtani proposed

As with any big-name trade target, there are a bevy of New York Yankees fans who want the club to go all-in on a Shohei Ohtani trade to make a push this season but also in the hopes of luring him to stay beyond the end of the 2023 season when he hits free agency this winter.

But what if the Boston Red Sox stuck a knife in the hearts of their biggest rivals by making that trade for Ohtani instead?

An Ohtani trade in itself is unlikely at this point, as has been widely reported. If it were to happen, though, Molly Burkhardt of MLB.com put together a Red Sox trade package that would fit what the Angels are reportedly seeking in the way of multiple Top 100 prospects. The package would be headlined by baseball’s No. 3 overall prospect, Marcelo Mayer, and then a combination of Boston’s five other Top 100 prospects.

Burkhardt also noted that, if the Red Sox were reluctant to part with Mayer for a rental of Ohtani with no guarantee that he’d stay in Boston, then the other consideration would be including Brayan Bello or 2023 breakout Jarren Duran in the deal.

As brand-name and eye-catching as landing Ohtani would be, though, it’s hard to not see this as an untenable situation for the Red Sox on the trade market. For his faults, Chaim Bloom has done well in rebuilding the organization’s farm system in recent years with Mayer being the headliner, though Bello is making his case with his ascension in the majors this season. To erase all that work for a rental of Ohtani would seem incredibly short-sighted.

Boston fans would surely love to hurt Yankees dreams with an Ohtani trade, but the pieces necessary to make that deal are, most likely, not worth it. As such, they’d be best-served to let other bidders fight for the two-way sensation.